Editing United States Coast Guard (section)

===Authority as a law enforcement agency===
Title 14 USC, section 2 authorizes the Coast Guard to enforce U.S. federal laws.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCODE-2011-title14/pdf/USCODE-2011-title14-partI.pdf#page=1 |format=PDF |title=14 USC §2. Primary duties |year=2011 |website=[[United States Government Publishing Office|Government Printing Office]] |access-date=5 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102131556/http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCODE-2011-title14/pdf/USCODE-2011-title14-partI.pdf#page=1 |archive-date=2 November 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> This authority is further defined in {{UnitedStatesCode|14|522}}, which gives law enforcement powers to all Coast Guard commissioned officers, warrant officers, and petty officers.<ref>Previously 14 USC 89 - {{cite web |url=http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCODE-2011-title14/pdf/USCODE-2011-title14-partI.pdf#page=17 |format=PDF |title=14 USC §89. Law enforcement |year=2011 |website=[[United States Government Publishing Office|Government Printing Office]] |access-date=5 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102131556/http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCODE-2011-title14/pdf/USCODE-2011-title14-partI.pdf#page=17 |archive-date=2 November 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> Unlike the other armed forces branches, which are prevented from acting in a law enforcement capacity by {{UnitedStatesCode|18|1385}}, the [[Posse Comitatus Act]], and [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] policy, the Coast Guard is exempt from and not subject to the restrictions of the Posse Comitatus Act.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCODE-2011-title18/pdf/USCODE-2011-title18-partI-chap67-sec1385.pdf |title=18 USC §1385. Use of Army and Air Force as posse comitatus |year=2011 |website=[[United States Government Publishing Office|Government Printing Office]] |access-date=6 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102131437/http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCODE-2011-title18/pdf/USCODE-2011-title18-partI-chap67-sec1385.pdf |archive-date=2 November 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Further law enforcement authority is given by {{UnitedStatesCode|14|703}} and {{UnitedStatesCode|19|1401}}, which empower U.S. Coast Guard active and reserve commissioned officers, warrant officers, and petty officers as federal [[U.S. Customs and Border Protection|customs officers]].<ref>Previously 14 USC 143 {{cite web |url=http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCODE-2011-title14/pdf/USCODE-2011-title14-partI.pdf#page=30 |format=PDF |title=14 USC §143. Treasury Department |year=2011 |website=[[United States Government Publishing Office|Government Printing Office]] |access-date=5 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102131556/http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCODE-2011-title14/pdf/USCODE-2011-title14-partI.pdf#page=30 |archive-date=2 November 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCODE-2011-title19/pdf/USCODE-2011-title19-chap4-subtitleIII-partI-subparta-sec1401.pdf |title=19 USC §1401.(i) Officer of the customs; customs officer |year=2011 |website=[[United States Government Publishing Office|Government Printing Office]] |access-date=6 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102131145/http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCODE-2011-title19/pdf/USCODE-2011-title19-chap4-subtitleIII-partI-subparta-sec1401.pdf |archive-date=2 November 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> This places them under {{UnitedStatesCode|19|1589a}}, which grants customs officers general federal law enforcement authority, including the authority to:
{{Blockquote|quote=<poem>
(1) carry a firearm;
(2) execute and serve any order, warrant, subpoena, summons, or other process issued under the authority of the United States;
(3) make an arrest without a warrant for any offense against the United States committed in the officer's presence or for a felony, cognizable under the laws of the United States committed outside the officer's presence if the officer has reasonable grounds to believe that the person to be arrested has committed or is committing a felony; and
(4) perform any other law enforcement duty that the Secretary of Homeland Security may designate.</poem>|sign=19 USC §1589a. Enforcement authority of customs officers<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCODE-2011-title19/pdf/USCODE-2011-title19-chap4-subtitleIII-partV.pdf#page=7 |format=PDF |title=19 USC §1589a. Enforcement authority of customs officers |year=2011 |website=[[United States Government Publishing Office|Government Printing Office]] |access-date=6 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102131142/http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCODE-2011-title19/pdf/USCODE-2011-title19-chap4-subtitleIII-partV.pdf#page=7 |archive-date=2 November 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref>}}<!-- end of bq -->

The U.S. [[Government Accountability Office]] Report to the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]], Committee on the Judiciary on its 2006 Survey of Federal Civilian Law Enforcement Functions and Authorities, identified the Coast Guard as one of 104 federal components that employed [[law enforcement officer]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d07121.pdf |title=Federal Law Enforcement Survey of Federal Civilian Law Enforcement Functions and Authorities |website=[[Government Accounting Office]] |date=December 2006 |id=GAO-07-121 |access-date=22 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080501165559/http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d07121.pdf |archive-date=1 May 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref> The report also included a summary table of the authorities of the Coast Guard's 192 special agents and 3,780 maritime law enforcement boarding officers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gao.gov/special.pubs/gao-07-223sp/law_enforcement_survey_table.html |title=Law Enforcement Survey Table |website=[[Government Accounting Office]] |access-date=3 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117053347/http://www.gao.gov/special.pubs/gao-07-223sp/law_enforcement_survey_table.html |archive-date=17 January 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Coast Guardsmen have the legal authority to carry their service-issued firearms on and off base. This is rarely done in practice, however; at many Coast Guard stations, commanders prefer to have all service-issued weapons in armories when not in use. Still, one court has held in the case of ''People v. Booth'' that Coast Guard boarding officers are qualified law enforcement officers authorized to carry personal firearms off-duty for self-defense.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://handgunlaw.us/documents/LEOSACoastGuardCarryCourtCase.pdf |title=People v. Booth, ___ N.Y.S.2d ___, 2008 WL 2247068, 2008 N.Y. Slip. Op. 28206 (N.Y. Co.Ct. 2008) |date=24 May 2008 |access-date=23 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080624183615/http://handgunlaw.us/documents/LEOSACoastGuardCarryCourtCase.pdf |archive-date=24 June 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref>